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Today, we are continuing our series through the book of Daniel and we come into a very interesting subject in this chapter on Daniel, and that is about angels and demons.

Now, this is fascinating. I was doing Bible study with my son, six-year-old boy Shawn, and we were looking at Samson and we were talking about Philistines and how they were evil, they were wicked, they were sinful, and Shawn suddenly shot a question: "Who is Satan?" I don't know how he links it, but he links it to Satan and he said, "Who is Satan?"

I explained a little bit and he says, "Is he a boy or a girl? What's his colour? What does he look like? Is he everywhere? What did he do? Why did he do what he did? Are we more powerful than Satan? Is God more powerful than Satan? I say, "Yeah, of course." "How many times?" Hundred times? Million times? Million or million times? He is in this stage where he is comparing things based on these objective numbers, but these are questions he asked. And maybe, these are the questions you ask.

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You see, there is this supernatural world, unseen invisible world of angels and demons around us, but they are not without reminders in our world today. For example, we people today, not necessarily the church, but people today speak about guardian angels. People go to shopping malls and you go to gift shops and you see these Precious Moments' angels. On Valentine's Day, you are reminded of angels, cupids shooting arrows.

And even in movies, you are reminded of angels and demons. You have the show City of Angels. You have show: Exorcist, Poltergeist, Constantine, Hellboy. These are shows about demons. You have computer games like Lucius, Doom, Diablo, not that I play them or whatever, but I researched on them but there is this reminder all around us that there are angels and demons.

A survey conducted in US reports that 8 in 10 Americans believe in angels, and it's interesting that this week as I was preparing this message, I read about Katy Perry. And Katy Perry said, "My favourite part of the night [this is in her concert] was when I was singing by the grace of God [by the way, I don't think she's a Christian at all], and a little white feather presumably from a costume floated by. And it reminded me about the angels and how, maybe, they are still looking after me, helping me continue to put one foot in front of the other." So there are people today who believe in angels, in demons and they may not necessarily be Christians.

But what's important is not what the world thinks; what's important is what does God say. And so today, in Daniel chapter 10, we have a glimpse of the unseen world as described in the Bible. And Daniel chapter 10 is interesting. Daniel 10's setting is as such. Daniel is very disturbed. You see, he has been praying, he's been asking the Lord and the Lord has shown him that Israel will return to Jerusalem. But it has been sometime already and only 50,000 Jews have returned.

I mean there are millions of people in Persia, and only 50,000 have returned. And their responsibility to return is not just to go back, but to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. For 7 months, only 50,000 returned and they could only clear the rubble or the rubbish from the temple ground. So, it is so slow, it is so small that Daniel is distressed, he's burdened.

And so, the Bible says in Daniel 10, he begins in prayer to God. He's saying, "Lord, I seek to understand what's up. You said we’ll be back but why so small, so slow." And he prayed and fasted for 21 days. And it is said that at the end of that 21 days, in verses 4 to 6 in Daniel 10, that he had a vision and a vision, we believe, is none other than Jesus Christ, the Son of God Himself, manifested to Daniel.

Of course, he was absolutely overwhelmed by that. He fell into a deep sleep and then an angel now, not Jesus, but an angel was sent and touched him. So you could call this message "touched by an angle", whatever you want, but Daniel 10 tells us of a glimpse of the heavenly realm. And let's read verses 12 to 14:

[Pastor: "This angel"] Then he said to me, "Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes [pastor: "the word there means rulers, leaders, captains, heads"], came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia, and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come."
(Daniel 10:12-14 ESV)

So, the angel came to Daniel and told him his mission. "I've come here because God sent me. On the very first day you pray, your words are heard. God sent me and I'm here to help you understand what you've been looking for. You're finding out, you're discovering, you want to know why is it that it's so slow and so on. So I've come to help you understand what is to happen to your people. So I'm here to bring a message. I'm here to tell you what is written in God's Word."

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And then Daniel must have probably thought, "Huh, you were sent from day one, how come you take so long? You don't have express service meh? How come it's 21 days for you to come?" Pre-empting that as it were, the angel here tells him, "I was withheld. The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me 21 days. I could have come earlier but there was a spiritual conflict with the prince of the kingdom of Persia."

So, obviously, there is this kingdom of Persia. Persia was the ruling kingdom at that time, important kingdom because they had charge over the people of God, they had charge over Israel. And in this kingdom of Persia, there is a ruler, there is a prince, there is a captain and this is not mere man, because this prince wrestled, fought with this angel and also with Michael, one of the chief princes.

Michael, the archangel, is mentioned five times in the Bible – three times in Daniel, two times in the New Testament. And he's called the chief, the head, the archangel elsewhere. And so, this is an angelic battle. The prince of the kingdom of Persia is an angel, there's no doubt about that, for Michael and this angel to have a conflict for 21 days. And he's an evil fallen angel because he is opposed to the work and the will of God.

Now how did they fight, I do not know. That's where, maybe, your imagination runs wild. If you've watch enough WWE, you may think, "Wah, what sleeper hold, what else, what slam, whatever lah." They must have wrestled. Or maybe if your imagination is a bit more creative, you'll think about Star Wars, and I've no idea how they wrestled. I've no idea how they fought but it was for 21 days, and this angel could only come when Michael came to help. But that's not all. After this angel would deliver the message to Daniel, he will return to fight against the prince of Persia.

… But now I will return to fight against the prince of Persia; and when I go out, behold, the prince of Greece will come. But I will tell you what is inscribed in the book of truth: there is none who contends by my side against these except Michael, your prince.
(Daniel 10:20-21 ESV)

Wow, I mean this battle is really, really long. And "when I go out, behold, the prince of Greece will come". So there's another angel. Prince of Persia, prince of Greece and later on… But I will tell you now "what is inscribed in the book of truth: there is none who contends by my side against these except Michael", now your prince. It is not Daniel's guardian angel but this Michael is Israel's angel.

At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people.
(Daniel 12:1 ESV)

So these angelic beings are Michael – had a charge over Israel, there are fallen angels – who had charge over Greece and over Persia. And so there is this battle that goes on. Now, what are we to make out of this? What can we learn about demons, about angels from a simple, short passage like this?


WHAT CAN WE LEARN ABOUT DEMONS?

1.  Organised

Well, number 1; I think we can learn that demons are very organised. I suggest to you that they are very, very organised. Here we have a glimpse of it, you have the angel that is in charge of Persia, and then you have another angel in charge of Greece. Michael, being an angelic being, is also in charge of Israel. So, there is that natural order and structure the angels have. Of course, when Satan fell, fallen angels fell together with him but he also has a structure. You see, the Bible tells you that the devil and his minions are very well-organised:

Eph 6:12 ESV  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
[Pastor: "They use words like rulers, authorities, cosmic powers. So there is an organization to angelic or even demonic structures or beings. We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against these rulers, authorities, cosmic powers.]

Col 1:16 ESV  For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
[Pastor: "Elsewhere in Colossians, it's repeated that they have thrones, dominions, rulers, authorities.]

Col 2:15 ESV  He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
[Pastor: "And then in Colossians 2, God has disarmed the rulers and the authorities, put them to open shame by triumphing over them in Him, that is in Christ."]

Matt 12:26 ESV And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?
[Pastor: "Jesus Himself acknowledged that Satan has his kingdom and in any kingdom, there is structure, there is order, there is hierarchy."]

So, the first thing we see in Daniel, is that demons are organised. They have an organisational chart. Right on top will be Satan and then after that, can you give me the names, don't you know? Okay, the answer is nobody knows, all right? I'm just kidding with you. Nobody knows who they are, all we know is right at the top is Satan himself and we are not given the org chart of the devil, we're not given that.

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But all I can tell you is that this… But what I can tell you is that this organisation is extremely powerful. In the Old Testament, one angel is able to slay 185,000 people. Jesus calls the devil "the ruler of the world", in John. The Bible calls the devil "the god of this world" – 2 Corinthians 4. The Bible also calls the devil "the prince of the power of the air". So the demons are very organised and they're extremely powerful. That's one thing Scripture informs us.

2.  Opposed to God

Second thing we can see is that the demons are opposed to God. They do not want God's will and plan to flourish. They are always trying to spoil God's ways. Certainly in this case, we see that there is a battle with the good angels. And indeed, Daniel, at the end of the vision or actually summarised that vision in verse 1, when he says that there was a great conflict:

In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a word was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar. And the word was true, and it was a great conflict.  (Daniel 10:1 ESV)

Subsequent to chapter 10 is chapter 11. And chapter 11, you're going to see… When we read this next week, you're going to see… wah, so confusing. I say to you, you go back and read it today and you say, "Wah, so confusing," at least for the first 35 verses. It's this king, that king, this kingdom, that kingdom, and so many details and it seems like it's never ending battles. And that's exactly the point. In Persia, in Greece, and subsequent to that, there will be constant conflict and the reason is because there is a constant conflict in the heavens. So there is a heavenly conflict that results in an earthly tumult, and there is a rise and fall of kingdoms to come.

And there is a conflict because the fallen ones are against God. Now, the devil is certainly against God and his people. We read that in the Bible (verse below) where he's called the murderer and he deceives, he lies; he wants to con and deceive God's people.

He was a murderer from the beginning… he is a liar and the father of lies.
(John 8:44 ESV)

The Bible tells us that he blinds the minds of the unsaved:

In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
(2 Corinthians 4:4 ESV)

Do you know why today your parents, your grandparents, your friends, your neighbours, even though you've shared the Gospel with them, would not come to Jesus? One of the reasons, one of the reasons given in the Bible is that the god of this world has blinded the minds. Satan blocks them from the glory of the Gospel; he is always trying to do that.

The Bible tells us that this evil one – the devil, he has a ministry, not ministry; he has a mission to pluck God's Word that has been preached from people's hearts:

Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart.
(Matthew 13:18-19 ESV)

Why is it that after you watch a movie you remember the scenes, but when you come for a sermon you forget it after that? Well, maybe because you never pay attention, that's one. Maybe because not so good memory, but maybe it's because there's a spiritual reason behind that he will take away what is not understood and does not allow it to lodge therein to bear fruit. That's what is given in the parable of the sower to a careless listener.

This in 1 Timothy talks about a man whose… the qualifications of a pastor, qualifications of a bishop and elder and it says:

He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.
(1 Timothy 3:6-7 ESV)

He "must not be a recent convert", (that is) he must be a novice. Why, because otherwise he may be "puffed up with conceit" or pride and the devil comes and gets him into the "condemnation of the devil" or the "snare of the devil". So you see, the devil is always trying to get God's people. And they are "deceitful spirits and teachings of demons":

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared
(1 Timothy 4:1-2 ESV)

You say, "Is there a lecture by the demon? Where is the school of demons? I mean where does the demon teach? Where's his school? Where's his hall? Where's his realm? Let me tell you where: in churches today everywhere, in all kinds of false religions today, because why – he operates through the "insincerity of liars" or false teachers.

So, sometimes the most dangerous place is what is seen as the visible church, when it is not really God's Word that is taught but false teachers energised by the devil who deceives. And it's very scary, but this is real. That's why the Bible warns us against false teachers. They look good, they look decent, they look godly on the outside, but they are actually demons who transform themselves into angels of light. But that's their modus operandi. They seek to deceive in order to destroy.

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2 Timothy tells us about "the snare of the devil" likewise:

And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
(2 Timothy 2:24-26 ESV)

Revelation 12 talks about "the deceiver of the whole world":

And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world
(Revelation 12:9 ESV)

The devil is opposed to God and His Word; he's out to get us. So maybe all this is summarised well by Ray Stedman who says: "Behind the affairs of earth is an invisible hierarchy of evil." Well said, isn't it? Behind the affairs of earth – we always like to think of this world in a very naturalistic, secular way; it is just one plus one equals to two. But it says behind the affairs of this earth, unseen to the eye, is the operation of a hierarchy of evil.

You know, two Sundays ago, I was sharing with you about the conflict between Israel and the Arab nations. You know Israel is right in the midst of Arab nations. They are constantly being attacked, there are constant wars. How is it that Israel can be victorious?

Right after that, I was speaking to one of our military people in our church and he was saying that wow, if you study, he told me, if you study the war of the Israelis and the Arabs, you will be amazed because there is absolutely no chance for Israel to thrive and succeed.

Humanly speaking, they have no chance, they should die, they should lose like (pastor showed a picture entitled "The Six Day War"). Of course, this is a different war but just a picture of that. They have so few resources, they were stretched on so many fronts, they have to make such tough decisions. They should have lost. It's a miracle that they were triumphant.

You say, "How is that miracle possible?" Well, maybe because… Now I am not suggesting to you that it must be, but I think it could be that the battle was not just fought on the physical level, but there was a spiritual level of battle. So often, we look at a war and we just look at tanks and soldiers, bullets and cannons. There is a different… There is another world – unseen world – that may be the result of that. It may be Michael, the archangel because he's the one given the charge to the people of God. And this should not be strange when you think about it in the Bible.

There is this story of how Elisha and his henchman, his servant, were surrounded by king of Syria's army, and his servant began to be afraid. "Oh no, we're going to die, they're going to get us." And Elisha said to his servant:

"Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them."
(2 Kings 6:16 ESV)

This servant looks at Elisha (and said), "Wow, my master 'siow liao' (crazy or mad in the Hokkien dialect). There's only the two of us. What are you talking about?" And this is where Elisha prayed and said:

… "O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see." So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
(2 Kings 6:17 ESV)

There's this world that is unseen but real. So demons are unseen but real, angels are unseen but real. Now it be very spooky and scary for us to talk about demons and so on, I know it is. But on the flipside, it is also very encouraging when we realise that there are angels who serve us, who are God's people. Hebrews tells us:

Are they not all ministering spirits sent out [pastor: "by God, of course"] to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?
(Hebrews 1:14 ESV)

So there are angels to protect us, but there are also angels who are fallen, who are against us. Now, how do we respond? After hearing all that, that there are demons, they are organised, they are opposed to us, how are we to respond to these things? I suggest that there are different perspectives to it.


HOW DO WE RESPOND TO DEMONS?

1.  Oblivious

Number 1, there are people today who are oblivious to the supernatural realm. They are oblivious, that means they are negligent or they neglect to listen, they ignore, they just don't care that there are angels. But it is unwise because that makes you, if you're a child of God, vulnerable. the Bible tells you that you do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness in high places.

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So often, when we meet with trouble, when we meet with difficult people, when we see problems arise, we think the problem is with him, with her, with them. But it is not always as straightforward as that. It may be that there is a satanic, demonic influence behind it. For example, you have a very difficult situation at home – your child is just rebellious. It may be bad parenting, it may be a problem on our side, but it can also be a demonic influence. You have an abusive husband. It may be that your husband is really terrible, but it may be that he is demonically influenced – he is deceived, he is struggling with sin and that makes him the way he is. Now, I am not saying your husband is a demon. I'm just saying that he may be snared by the devil, living in lies and sin, you see.

We forget and so often in church, we quarrel with someone. And I tell you, in the church, when you really live together because of the flesh, we can get disagreements, we can. But we start to lock our guns on that man and we forget that really, the battle is not flesh and blood. It's not against Mr. Tan or Mrs. Lim. There's something behind it. You don't wrestle against flesh and blood. And church divisions, quarrels, arguments, splits, I tell you the devil has his finger in that pot, and if you're not aware, you fall prey easily.

Don't you know today that the media is also a means by which the devil influences us? I mean you just look at movies and television programs, computer games, what's behind it all? There is influence. Look at movements and philosophies – we live in a day and age where we don't, people by and large don't believe that the Bible is true anymore. They don't believe that there is anything absolute anymore. It depends on how I feel, that's what the world says.

You say, "Why is this whole world believing that? Why is it such a powerful philosophy?" Because there is a very powerful organisation opposed to God that is propagating this, to bring people away from God.

We just had a talk on the LGBT or pan-sexualism or homosexuality issues and it is a global phenomenon. Why, why is it like a tsunami hitting nations today? Is it because the gay activists themselves are very, very eloquent? Maybe, but beyond that, there is a very powerful spiritual force that brings it to our land.

Now, let me clarify, in case I'm slandered after the sermon that I say the gay activists are demons. No, I'm not saying they're demons. I'm saying philosophies that are against God's Word can and probably are propagated by a very powerful spiritual organisation behind it – the satanic forces.

So, as the people of God, it is unwise for us just to look and think that the problem is with men. Yes, men have our problems but there can be more than meets the eye, in the words of transformers. Behind the affairs of the earth is an invisible hierarchy of evil.

2.  Obsessed

Now, there are some people who are oblivious but let me swing to the other extreme, there are those then who are very obsessed. You know this kind of people? They see demons in every corner; they see demons behind every tree. You know they see demons everywhere, they see demons in the house, they see demons in a bottle of water, they see demons everywhere. Oooh, and everywhere they go, "I feel something is behind me. I can see, I can see."

And they become obsessed. They not only see, they think they see, but they also blame everything on the demons. When they have a heart attack, they think it's the demon. When they think that they have constipation, it's the demon. And when they hear you sneeze, they say you have the demon. No, not everything. Now, sure the devil has the power, really, to inflict sicknesses. We can see that in the Bible – in Job, in apostle Paul's life. He can do that with permission from God, but it doesn't mean that when he can, that all your sicknesses are because of him, doesn't mean that.

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And someone who is obsessed is always trying to think everything is because of the demon. The reason why you're lying is because you have the demon of lying and I need to cast out the demon of lying from you. I need to cast out the demon of pornography from you. I need to cast out the demon of bitterness from you. I need to cast out demon and it's all about the demon and nothing on our part. You see, the danger of that is that we neglect the teaching of the Bible that sin is because of our own lust, and we blame it all on Satan.

Let me tell you this joke that we often say, "When you go to heaven, you'll see the devil cry. He cries when God is giving the judgement, he cries. You say, "Why?" Because the devil says, "You see all your people, they blame every problem on me. I did not do it." Now, he is responsible for a lot of things but not everything. So there are people who are obsessed and they see the demons everywhere.

I was just speaking after the service with someone and they came from a different church, different church in the past. And they're saying they're taught to see the demons everywhere, that they are so sensitive that they break down very easily, and I think it's true. They're sensitive; everything is blamed on the demon.

And when I was a doctor, when I was in psychiatry, we would have to understand diseases and psychiatric problems. And they showed us videos of patients and you know what, when I see that, I was grieved because a lot of people who have really gone… they have lost their mind as it were. They walk around the room, circular, and they say they sing to God. They are not really singing to God, they are just mumbling some things. They are saying, "I bind you, Satan." And they're so conditioned by churches to get them be obsessed about demonic things, they have become paranoid and a little bit of thing triggers that and it's not healthy.

Now, let me say that that is an extreme case. But I think this obsession, this wrong thinking that the demon is in every corner or everywhere is still prevalent even in a lot of Christians, Bible-believing Christians. For example, there's a common practice by some Christians to get people or pastors to go to their house to cleanse the house. Have you heard that? Have ah?

Let's say you buy a new house. Wah, can be Orchard Road or can be Caribbean, or whatever. I don't know lah. Wah, can be very nice place but you still want to cleanse the house because in case got… got what? Got bad… got evil spirit. I tell you, when I get my house, I never even pray for that. But there's nothing wrong with praying, let me get this clear. There's nothing wrong with praying. There's nothing wrong to say, "Lord, use this house for your glory." Nothing wrong with that.

But if our idea is that I go pray and I can chase out the devil, you have a mistaken expectation and really wrong theology. Now I'll allude to that a little bit more, but later on. But let's see, there are those who are obsessed, they see the devil in everything, they become paranoid, that's not healthy. So these are the two extremes. What is the biblical balance?

3.  Observant

It's in the 3rd word, which is to be observant. You're not oblivious but you're not paranoid. the Bible says:

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
(1 Peter 5:8 ESV)

Be sober-minded; be watchful because there is a real enemy. He's not imaginary, he's not fun to be with, he's not a cute little guy with two horns and red underwear, running around and trying to be friendly with you. No, no, no. He's the adversary, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. And the Bible says, be sober, be watchful. He seeks to destroy your life and you got to be observant.

There's this very interesting story told about Ignaz Semmelweis. You may not have heard about him, he lived some hundred over years ago. He's a doctor by training and he was working in a hospital ward and he realised a very interesting pattern. He works in the delivery ward so there is a ward where babies are delivered by doctors, there's a ward where babies are delivered by midwives. And he realised that the babies who are delivered by doctors die more. "Wah lau" ("oh dear" colloquially), "jia lat" ("this is terrible" in Hokkien), you study so many years and you cause more death. They couldn't figure out why.

Ignaz Semmelweis, he observed this pattern and he said, "Well, maybe you should just wash your hands and change your clothes each time you're working," indirectly putting the blame on doctors. Now the doctors were not very happy. They followed that still and there was success – less babies died. But Ignaz Semmelweis could not figure out what's causing the difference, except that they followed the instruction. The doctors, not being happy, eventually moved to get him and kick him out of the hospital. He got out. He went to another hospital, had the same observation and gave the same suggestion. It worked but the doctors likewise didn't like him. He was pushed out.

Timestamp 0:30:57.9

Eventually, he was branded as a mad man. He was sent to the mental asylum, serious, you can Google, Wikipedia him. He was sent to the mental asylum. In 14 days' time, he was beaten to death by the guards. Ignaz Semmelweis realised that when the doctors work, they never quite… they work from different wards and they never quite wash their hands and so on and so forth. He couldn't know why, but he just suggested that they do. He was branded as a crazy guy, he could spot a problem but he couldn't explain it.

And it was years later, it was only sometime later, that Louis Pasteur confirmed the theory of germs and subsequent scientists confirmed that these children died because of infection. You see, this word infection is so taken for granted by us today, isn't it? But if you live 200 years ago, you have no concept of microorganisms. No one knew, no one knew about fungus and bacteria and virus, no one because that was a totally unseen world. But that unseen world is very real and it impacts lives.

And when you think about the spiritual warfare, the angelic realm, just because you don't see it doesn't mean it does not exist. And it is very real, it impacts our lives today. And therefore, the Bible says, don't be oblivious but on the other hand, don't be obsessed (1 Peter 5:8). You know, mothers please, help your kids practise personal hygiene, please cook your food. But don't be obsessive about it in that you wrap your child in bubble wrap, don't allow him to go out of the home, don't allow him to eat anything. That is being obsessive, that's not healthy. And spiritually speaking, we should not therefore be oblivious or obsessed but be observant. So there is a real world out there.


Do We Initiate Spiritual Warfare Against Territorial Demonic Forces?

Now, the question that this text in Daniel 10 brings is… The next one I want address is this. There is a spiritual battle between the angels, the demons and the angels and there's Daniel praying. So do and should we initiate spiritual warfare against territorial demonic forces?

What is territorial demonic forces? Well, these are the prince of the kingdom of Persia, prince of the kingdom of Greece; these are angels, fallen angels that are in charge of large territories and people. This is very exact. I'm not talking about us, as Christians, praying for people who may be disturbed and even possessed by the devil. We're not talking about that individual basis, this is a territorial basis. Do we initiate spiritual warfare against territorial demonic forces?

It's almost like saying, do we go to Toa Payoh (a place in Singapore) and say there is a demon in Toa Payoh, we pray against the demon of Toa Payoh and chase the Toa Payoh demon out. How do you like that – Toa Payoh demon? Or maybe, how about we chase away Block 338 Toa Payoh demon out? Do you do that? Or unit 05-221, we chase out, do you do that? I'm not sure.

The Bible tells… This is the only passage that gives even a reference to territory, all right, about angels. Whatever you want to extend it to every GRC (Group Representation Constituency – a type of electoral division in Singapore) or HDB block or unit (refers to public housing in Singapore), I really think you got to be careful. But should we even have this concept? Should we even launch an attack? Now, this is interesting because now, if you lived 100 years ago, there will be no issue. No one believes this; no one will say we should, no one.

Timestamp 0:35:05.6

This is a relatively new teaching and it has really gone on in many churches today. And the idea is that you need to claim territories back to Jesus Christ. The idea is that they are demons in charge, they are spirits in charge. They have the spirit of Jezebel, for example, that intimidates people, the spirit of Ahab, whatever. They have spirits, evil spirits that control God's people, control the land. And for the Christian to be able to win people to Jesus Christ, you need to first go to the territory, pray against them, dispel the demon, chase them out, cleanse the area before you can be successful. So that's the idea. Associated with this is the concept of… So like what I said, to break down strongholds, territorial spirits. Peter Wagner is a big name in this field of teaching.

So associated with this is this idea of spiritual mapping. So in order for you to conquer the Toa Payoh demon, you got to find out where is the Toa Payoh demon. You got to find out the Toa Payoh demon has how many "kar kias" (that is) how many minions. You got to find out the Toa Payoh demon where he stays, where is his focus of power. So you got to have a map, spiritual mapping, it's almost like army warfare. Before you fight any territory, you got to have a recce right? You got to have a reconnaissance, you got to map the area, you got to find out more. And so this is spiritual mapping.

So what they do is they walk the area. They walk Toa Payoh, they walk around Toa Payoh, they walk through Toa Payoh and they conduct what they call praise march and prayer walks. The idea is that as we praise, as we pray in our marches, in our walks, the demons don't like it; they are scared of us, they are scared of the words we use and they will flee and we will cleanse this area for Jesus Christ. Associated with this is this militant intercession (referring to a book by Cindy Jacobs). There's nothing wrong with praying, but what they're saying is that we will pray against the demon and we will pray, "I bind you in Jesus' Name. I command you to shut up. I rebuke you in His Name and you go." And these are the language, exact words that are being used. Is that right, biblical or not?

Well, some of the roots of this is mistakenly taken from Daniel chapter 10. They look at Daniel chapter 10 and they see a passage about angels and demons, territorial, and then they see Daniel praying. But the problem is that, actually, Daniel's prayer has nothing to do with binding demons, absolutely nothing. Daniel's prayer is, "Lord, why is this happening?" But they have mistakenly taken it to say Daniel is praying, "Please bind the prince of the kingdom of Persia and Greece."

Now, look at this:

•    Daniel did not know about this conflict before the angel told him about it. (He didn't know, isn't it? He prayed first, then he had a vision of Christ, then the angel told him about this.)

•    Daniel did not pray to bind the prince of Persia. (Nothing like that is mentioned.)

•    God did not ask Daniel to bind demons or cast them from their geographical sphere.

•    God did not even ask Daniel to pray about the angelic conflict.

•    It was the angel and Michael the archangel who dealt with the fallen angels responsible for Persia and Greece, not Daniel.

Nowhere in the Bible is it commanded of Christians to initiate warfare against territorial demonic forces, nowhere. In fact, I tell you, it's dangerous when you use language such as "I bind you", "I command you to shut up", you are blah-blah-blah-blah-blah. It's unbiblical because I see it in 2 Peter 2. It says:

Bold and willful, they [the false prophets] do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones [the fallen angels], whereas angels [the good ones], though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them [fallen angels] before the Lord.
(2 Peter 2:10-11 ESV)

The naming of angels, the blaspheming of angels, the rebuking of angels is bold and willful, done by false prophets. That's what it said and if you still don't get it, Jude:

8  Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority,
and blaspheme the glorious ones.
9  But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, "The Lord rebuke you."
10  But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand…
(Jude 1:8-10 ESV)

Yet in like manner these people… Look at the characteristic of false teachers, it is so precise, the Bible. False teachers, what did they do?  They "rely on their dreams". I was just reading an article, this morning I think or last night, I can't remember now, about someone who says we should wage war against territorial spirits. You know what the person says? He says I go to that territory and I feel the spirit. I feel who the demon is; I try to discern his name. I mean what ridiculous thing is that? And they rely on their dreams, they defile the flesh, they reject authority, and this is what they do – they blaspheme the glorious ones (Jude 1:8).

Timestamp 0:40:16.4

Now even archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, "The Lord rebuke you, "not" I command you." (Jude 1:9) There's a difference: willfulness and arrogance, and presumption. And so I think it's dangerous for us when you have no biblical warrant to do something like that.

Again, I'm not saying that there is no place for prayer, for people who're possessed by the devil; there is. These are extraordinary times, sure, but there is no passage in the Bible that talks about a battle against territorial demonic forces, much less rebuking them in our own arrogance and pride.

On the other hand, the Bible prescribes to you a regular way by which we encounter the devil and how we are to respond, and it is found in verses like James 4:7. the Bible says resist the devil:

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
(James 4:7 ESV)

the Bible says in 1 Peter, be sober, be watchful. Why, because you need to resist the devil:

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith…
(1 Peter 5:8-9 ESV)

In Ephesians 6, where it talks about spiritual warfare, putting on the armour of God:

11  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil…
13  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore… (Ephesians 6:11, 13-14 ESV)

Is it for you to put on the armour to wage war against territorial demonic forces? No, it is for you to stand. You know not the power of your foe, friends, if you think, in your own arrogance and pride; you wage war against territorial spirits. You stand, you resist. Those are the words of Scripture.

I hear things like, "Oh, this person is disturbed by the devil so we will rebuke this city." It is just superstitious at best; it's not founded in Scripture.


How Can I Resist The Devil?

So how are we to resist the devil? How are we to do that? If that is the chief command of Scripture, how are you and I to do this? First thing I want to say is that this is not a physical kind of resistance; you don't wrestle against flesh and blood, it's against spiritual forces (Eph 6:12). And in 2 Corinthians 10, we do not wage war according to the flesh:

For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.
(2 Corinthians 10:3 ESV)

It's very interesting. I was reading about this pastor who gathered some 300,000 people, oh sorry, yeah, 300,000 people, to wage war against the devil. By the way, each person has to pay $100 to get in first. So they got 300,000 people to fight against the devil and the way they fight is very simple. When they all gather, they will pull out a sword from their side, literally, pull out a sword from their side and wave it in the air. This is how we fight the devil. I mean you don't wage war according to the flesh.

I hear just now that the person was sharing with me is that what they do in the churches in the past, is that they will wave banners over the person, like this, "We are Singapore". It's like National Parade or what? The devil is going to laugh at you, "What's this?" And they dance around and I mean this is just ridiculous.

You don't wage war on a physical level. You don't fight the devil with these. You don't fight the devil with garlic and crosses. I suspect some of you keep your Bibles at home, at the foot of your bed, at the head of your bed, not because you read that but because in case the devil comes, you can use it and knock his head. There's nothing like… You don't take out the Bible, wah, look at the Bible (and pastor chanted a spell in Chinese). It doesn't work like this. It has no relevance.

This is spiritual battle not fought on the physical plane. Now, for you to resist the devil, you got to know how he works, how he attacks, how he comes to us. I found this quote useful and it goes like this: "Satan doesn't control us with fang marks on the flesh, but with lies in the heart."

One of the deceptions of the devil is through Hollywood, through media, through movies, through computer games. He has duped us to think that he attacks you by biting you, isn't it? He attacks you because he has long fangs. He is red colour with yellow eyes. He has two horns, he has sharp claws, he's really scary and you won't want to meet him at night. That's how you think about the devil, isn't it? When I talk about devil, isn't that the image you have although we do not know how he looks like exactly?

But that's how he dupes you, and so we are scared. When we think about devil, we're very scared, don't dare to be here alone. I don't dare to walk across the cemetery in case he comes. We're scared of all these because somehow we have believed that Satan attacks primarily by fangs on your flesh. "Aaaaar! Aaaaar!" That's how we look at… "Aaaaar!" I don't think he "aaaaar", okay? I don't think that's the main way he attacks.

He attacks with lies in the heart. He doesn't scare you, really. I think he lures you, he brings you in, he attracts you. He transforms himself into an angel of light; he might look like me, he looks good. He sucks you in. He doesn't push you off because he wants to lie to you. He doesn't bite you. He deceives you.

Timestamp 0:46:04.3

Again, this is not because I met the devil and he told me about this, but the Bible tells me so. You see, we got to stand on God's Word and the Bible tells us how does he kill:

He was a murderer from the beginning… he is a liar and the father of lies.
(John 8:44 ESV)

By biting you and sucking your blood dry like a vampire? No, please, he doesn't do that. Jesus says he is a murderer from the beginning because he bites? No, he is a murderer from the beginning because he lies. The verses we've read just now all come to mind.

2 Cor 4:4 ESV  In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
[Pastor: "He blinds the minds – he attacks your mind, he attacks your heart, he attacks you in the inner man, not on the outer shell."]

Matt 13:18-19 ESV Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart.
[Pastor: "He snatches away what is in your heart."]

1 Tim 4:1-2 ESV Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared
[Pastor: "He deceives. How does he do that? He does that through the insincerity of liars. The devil works through false teachers, this is so clear.]

2 Tim 2:24-26 ESV And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
[Pastor: "And it is the knowledge of truth that helps you escape the snare of the devil because his way is to lie."]

Rev 12:9 ESV And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world
[Pastor: "He's a deceiver of the whole world."]

So get this clear. I know though we may look at this statement, somehow deep inside of us, we still fear his physical manifestation. But more than anything else, 99.9% of the time you should fear the lies that he sends in your heart because that's the way he attacks. So if we know this is the way he attacks, how are you to defend? Well, you know how to defend when you realise it's about lies, and the antidote to the venom of lie is of course truth – God's Word.

Jesus understood this. In John 17, He says:
15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.
16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
(John 17:15-17 ESV)

"I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one." He prays for… Okay, Jesus is well aware of the spiritual warfare, well aware. And so on the last night, before He dies on the cross, He says, "I am going to pray for my disciples. I'm going to pray for them to be protected from the devil." It's real and the way they will be protected from the devil is when they are sanctified, they're protected, they're set apart "in the truth". You say, "What is truth?" "Your Word" is truth (John 17:17).

So they need God's Word, they need the sword of the spirit; they need sound doctrine in the face of satanic lies. That is what He is concerned about. He's not scared that the devil comes and scares them and bites them. That's not the issue. The issue is deception and lies.

That's why in 2 Timothy, we need… What is the ministry of the church? What's the ministry of creatures? The Lord's servant, this is Paul talking to Timothy, his young protégé, his "tou dai" (disciple in the Cantonese dialect), the young pastor:

And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
(2 Timothy 2:24-26 ESV)

He says, as the Lord's servant, you "must not be quarrelsome but kind", you must be "able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness". Why, because "God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil". Why are these people who oppose Timothy, opposed to Timothy? Because they have been ensnared by the devil by lies, and what can set them free? Knowledge of truth. Truth is the antidote to the venom of lies. It's very simple.

How did Jesus resist the devil in the wilderness (the temptation of Jesus in Matt 4:1-11)? "It is written", "it is written", "it is written" – three times, He stood on God's Word. He did not need to wear protective armour. "Ay, don't bite my neck, please." He didn't need to do anything like that. He stood on God's Word. "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." (John 17:17 KJV)

Timestamp 0:50:09.6

So, the devil does not attack your flesh, he attacks your mind. The devil's weapon is not his fangs but his weapon is lies. His objective is not to get your flesh; his objective is to get your soul. His objective is not to get you to die physically; his objective is to let you die spiritually and therefore eternally with him.

And the only defence is that we must stand on God's Word. It is not mystical hocus-pocus garlic, cross, Bible, whack head, not techniques like these, but a firm belief in the power of the sword of the Spirit to pull down every high imagination and have our thoughts brought to captivity to Christ. It is to stand in the truth of the Gospel. Let me work this out for you a little, before we end.


THE DEVIL'S LIES

1.  You'll be really happy when you've got it all in this life

It is this, I tell you this is a lie every one of us believes, I say it unreservedly. This is a lie we all believe; it's only a matter of degree. But the devil is highly successful in this lie: "You'll be really happy when you've got it all in this life."

For some period of time, or even right now, you believe this: you believe that you'll be happy only if you're thinner today. Some of you, some of us, very concerned about our body shape, we want to be thin. And some may really… Why do you want to be thin? So that you're pretty wives, so that you are popular, so that you have the approval of man, and you know that it's… You think that it's only when I have the approval of man that I will be really happy. So, plastic surgery, trying to be slim, it becomes my key path to joy.

Now, let's not talk about body shape or whatever, let's talk about money. You'll be really happy when you've got it all. And so for half of our lives at least, we slog it all away, just to increase our bank account because we think the bigger an account I have, the more I have, the more happy I will be. That's why students study hard. That's why you don't serve God because I've got to have it all in this life.

And I tell you, this lie is not just by people who do not know Jesus, outside, but this lie can even creep into the church and via false teachers who tell you, "God is here to give you everything you want in this life." Sounds good, isn't it? Sounds almost right because God loves you, He wants you to have everything you want in this life. Sounds almost right. And the devil is so good to say, "God is here, the Bible is here, we are here, so that God will bless you with health and money and riches and all that you want," until you confront a lie with the antidote of truth.

What does the Bible say? Does the Bible really say you'll be really happy when you've got it all in his life? Does the Bible say so? the Bible actually says:

Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
(Matthew 16:24-25 ESV)

"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself." Huh? Yeah, Jesus says, “I want you not to have anything in his life; I want you to deny yourself – deny your wants, deny your ambitions, deny your desires, your desires of the past. And I want you to take up the cross and follow me. That means I want you to die like I did, "for whoever would save his life will lose it."

You try to find happiness looking for money, you'll lose your life. You think that your happiness is all about popularity, you'll lose your life, you'll lose it. But "whoever loses his life", you see the teaching of health and wealth is absolutely opposite of this, health and wealth is asking you to find your life in this life, when the Bible is saying lose your life for the real life.

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.
(Matthew 16:26-27 ESV)

The true Gospel is a message not to give you an improved version of your life. The true Gospel is not to give you an improved life you have had. The true Gospel is to tell you to lose that life and to realise and experience a brand-new life – Christ lives in me. It's a call to lose that life and to find the life in Christ. But this lie is so successful. It's robbed many of us from really living the life God wants us to live.

2.  Oh, you've got plenty of time

I tell you another lie the devil gives and it is this: "Oh, you've got plenty of time." Wow, this is superb, even if… As a student you have this, isn't it? Aiyah, exam so far away, you've got plenty of time. But I'm applying this to our lives, to our spiritual lives. You see, so many of us, we want to follow Jesus, we want to serve Him, but we always say, "Later, later, can. God can wait." But the Bible tells you otherwise:

Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, "I have no pleasure in them"; (Ecclesiastes 12:1 ESV)

Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth. Don't wait till you're older, but serve Him when you are able, when you're young, when you're energetic, when you've all that you could give, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, "I have no pleasure in them". Don't wait till it's too late when you can't serve anymore.

It's today… The best time was to start yesterday, but the next best time is today. Start giving your life. Don't say to God, "Later, later." Those who say later, later cannot follow Jesus. Do you realise that? I want to follow you but I want to go back and first bury my father, I want to go back and first settle my matters. Jesus, don't come… today. The devil says later, Jesus says today.

Timestamp 0:56:57.2

Some of you say, "I want to believe in Jesus but you know, later aah, later when my parents are gone and no one is going to oppose to my believing in Jesus, later when I'm more ready, later when I've enjoyed all my sins. Too late; today. Don't fall for this "you've got plenty of time"; you do not know what will happen tomorrow.

3.  The Bible was written over 2,000 years ago. It doesn't apply today.

How about this lie: "the Bible was written over 2,000 years ago. It doesn't apply today." Young people… By the way, there's this worldwide philosophy – postmodernism. Wah, "chim" ("profound" in Hokkien) word but basically it's an ideology that is very prevalent in people who are young today that think that there is no such thing as absolute truth anymore, like I've mentioned earlier. Everything is subjective; everything is relative so we call this moral relativism. Everything is relative. What is moral? It depends. There's no such thing as right or wrong, it depends. Depends on what? Depends on how I feel, depends on how society sees it, depends on whether it hurts others.

So today, sleeping around before you're married is okay. There's no absolute authority on that. It's okay, doesn't hurt anyone. You may not actually verbalise it's okay, but your life lives it as if it's okay because somehow the Bible is not authoritative for us anymore. Some of you really struggle. The Bible was written 2,000 years ago, it cannot be relevant today.

Homosexuality is so new, it… I mean the Bible is so long ago, it's not able to understand people's predicament today so it doesn't apply. These are the lies we have been bought or sold to, and the Bible actually tells us the truth. For example:

Matt 5:18 ESV For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
[Pastor: "All will be accomplished."]

Matt 4:4 ESV Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
[Pastor: "There's not a hint of irrelevance in Scripture whatsoever; it is timeless."]

John 12:48 ESV The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.
[Pastor: "God is not going to say it is outdated for people in 2014. No, same judgment standard. My Word stands. The devil says it doesn't, God says it does.]

4.  It won't hurt. Anyway, everyone's doing it too

It won't hurt, everyone's doing it anyway. Heard that lie? Everyone's doing it anyway. What's wrong with pornography? What's wrong? Everyone. Doesn't hurt. Well, it does hurt and it pays you more than you have expected because the Bible tells us:

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
(Galatians 6:7-8 ESV)

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, and usually the fruit is more than the seed. It pays you back big time.

5.  There are many ways to God

Some of you are here and you do not know Jesus. And I want to address some lies you have believed. You might believe that there are many ways to God. Well, the Bible says there's only one way:

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
(John 14:6 ESV)

Jesus is either a liar, a lunatic, or He is the Lord. You make a choice, there's not many ways. I stand, we stand clear on this. We're not trying to be obstinate, we're not trying to be inflexible, but truth is truth. Jesus says there's only one way. Don't believe the lie that there are many ways to God. There's only one way through the grace of God, through the sacrifice of Jesus, only one way.

6.  God is too loving to have anyone go to Hell!

How about this lie: "God is too loving to have anyone go to hell." Ha, we'll be fine. God is too good, He's a God of love, He'll never send anyone to hell. Well, the Bible says:

"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
(Matthew 25:41 ESV)

7.  You are good enough; you don't need to be saved

And then there are those who say… who believe this lie: "You are good enough." You compare yourself to other people, to the criminals, you are good enough, you don't need to be saved. Really? God says:

… all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
(Romans 3:23 ESV)

None of you are righteous. But these are lies we have believed. And the key, again, the devil does not control us with fangs on our flesh but with lies in our heart and the antidote is truth, standing upon God's Word (John 17:17). I end with this (quote from Piper):

"Take the supernatural seriously and realize that we are in a warfare that cannot and should not be domesticated by reinterpreting everything in the Biblical world view so that it fits nicely with secular, naturalistic ways of thinking about the world. [Pastor: "There is an unseen influence out there, there is."]

"Don't be presumptuous [pastor: "don't keep calling names, don't pretend yourself to be of a greater power"], as though demons were weak; and don't be anxious, as though they were stronger than Jesus."
– John Piper

Timestamp 1:02:17.0

I suspect there's a reason why Jesus appeared to Daniel first before the angel came with this message, because he has to see that the captain of host, the lord of the army, is really Jesus, God's own Son. Our comfort today is not that we can defend ourselves. Our comfort today is that when we look to our captain, as we stand on His Word, He is our defender. And the Bible tells us:

Rom 8:37-39 ESV No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
[Pastor: "We are more than conquerors, keyword: "through him" who loved us, and we are sure that nothing, not angels nor rulers will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord."]

Col 2:15 ESV He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
[Pastor: "We are confident today that God has already disarmed the rulers and authorities. They are on a short leash like a dog. They are allowed to bark but it's all under control, their powers are broken on the cross."]

1 John 4:4 ESV Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
[Pastor: "And today, He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."]

As closing, we're going to sing this song "A Mighty Fortress is our God". It's an old-fashioned song, I know. But the words ring true. Martin Luther, a man who is naturally bold and courageous, wrote these words with good balance, I may say. He talks about a spiritual battle in this song, about the demons attacking God's people. This is not about us attacking territorial demonic forces, all right? It's about the demons attacking us and he says:

(song lyrics)
1. A mighty fortress is our God,
a bulwark [pastor: "a defence, a wall"] never failing;
our helper he amid the flood
of mortal ills prevailing.

For still our ancient foe
doth seek to work us woe;
his craft and power are great,
and armed with cruel hate,
on earth is not his equal.

2. Did we in our own strength confide,
our striving would be losing,
were not the right man on our side,
the man of God's own choosing.

Dost ask who that may be? [pastor: "'Who is this man?' you may ask"]
Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabaoth [pastor: "lord of host, lord of armies"], his name,
from age to age the same,
and he must win the battle.

3. And though this world, with devils filled,
should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God hath willed
his truth to triumph through us.

The Prince of Darkness grim,
we tremble not for him;
his rage we can endure,
for lo, his doom is sure;
one little word shall fell him.

Let's bow for a word of prayer together. Are there areas of your life today that you have been duped and therefore are living in deception and sin? Is there someone in church that you are unhappy with? You have been harbouring bitterness and hatred; and you think it's all about him, it's all him, it's all his fault, it's all her fault, it's all them.

Do you realise that this can be satanic, this can be a spiritual warfare and you must not be oblivious to it? Maybe some of us today have been struggling with sins and we've blamed it on the devil. No, it's not always him. Don't be obsessed but be observant, be vigilant, be alert, be always ready to resist.

Maybe you are in a situation far greater than yourself in your job, in your workplace, in your home, and it's way beyond you. What you need today is not your own striving, but you need God. Are you struggling with sins today? You need God. Whatever the Lord is speaking to your heart at this time, though short, would you commit it to prayer?

Maybe today you are here and you do not know Jesus, but you've been believing those lies, you've been postponing your decision to follow Christ, would you dispel that with truth and come to the way, the truth and the life – Jesus, our Saviour?

A mighty fortress is our God. It is a scary world, if we were really to see it. But let us not be anxious, for He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world. This is what overcomes the world, even our faith.

Father, would You bless Your people today. I know it's a difficult, heavy message, but would You bless them with the nuggets of truth, the glimpse of Your glory, with the revelation in their heart, bring us to the biblical balance that You want us to have with regard to spiritual warfare. Protect us. Bless Your church. We ask in Jesus' Name. Amen.

 

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